by Keith M » Thu Jun 09, 2011 6:22 pm
A Saturday Champagne tasting at K&L is always a good reason to venture across the Bay, and so I did. We started with the 2005 Ruelle Petrois Grand Cru Vintage Blanc de Blancs (from vineyards in Cramant, Chouilly, and Oiry in the Côte des Blancs) which had a dark, nutty, rich aroma and tasted creamy, rich, characterful. The fruit here is rather heavy and overall I yearned for more lift. But very pleasant butteryness here nonetheless. Next up, the NV Billecart-Salmon Brut (40% Pinot Meunier, 35% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay) had heavy, dark, waxy aromatics and really tiny bubbles on the mouthfeel. Tasted juicy and fresh, plusher fruit, but really, really dark in that direction. The NV Launois Cuvée Reserve Brut Blanc de Blancs (from Côte des Blancs vineyards in Mesnil, Oger, Cramant, and Avize) had a simple, almost silent, nose. Juicy acid, waxed gum. Meh, this felt flat and lifeless to me. Might be in an awkward stage at the moment, hard for me to say as I've no recollection of encountering this producer before. The NV Michel Loriot Cuvée Reserve Brut [100% Pinot Meunier from Festigny in the Vallêe de la Marne) had a bright, fruity, rhubarb nose, lots of Pinot Meunier character on the nose. The initial lightness was very welcome, but, alas, felt like it lacked depth for me. A simple kiss, but a nice one. The NV Henri Giraud François Hemart Brut (from Aÿ on the southern slopes of the Montagne de Reims) [70 percent Pinot Noir, 30 percent Chardonnay] has an absolutely killer nose, raisin pastry, spiced pastry, awesome. Tastes elegant, slight sweetness lurking, textured tartness, great vision and crispness. This is what I've been waiting for, wow. The NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé [50 percent chardonnay, 40 percent pinot noir, 10 percent pinot meunier] is very clean with suggestions of peach (color suggests that as well), pleasant and tangy, simple but good structure. Likeable. The NV Fleury Brut Rosé (from Courteron way down south in the Côte des Bar) [100 percent Pinot Noir] had a lightly spiced nose of plum and a taste that suggested pepper, a tangy delicious acid grip, great presence and suggestions of a whole lot more lurking underneath the surface. Another fantastic impression-making wine. Finally the 2004 LeClerc Briant Rubis Rosé was very unchampagnelike. Made via maceration, it is way more like a sparkling red than any champagne I've ever encountered. Still maintains a degree of ethereal quality to it, but the skins and tannins dominate here and I can't say I was taken with it. So it is.
